By City

Finding Local Companies

If you know that you want to work in a certain geographic area, there are several approaches you can take to identify local companies and opportunities.

GoinGlobal

GoinGlobal is an online resource with a wealth of information about working in specific cities in the U.S. and Canada, including job search databases, job fairs, cost of living, job prospects and industry trends, and even cultural advice. It also provides information about working overseas.

Chambers of Commerce

Chambers of Commerce are professional organizations that many companies belong to. Chambers of Commerce often compile directories of their members and organize these listings by industry (which is great for you as a job seeker because it’s a way to find companies that might be of interest).

Your first step would be to find a Chamber of Commerce for the city or region that interests you. You can use the U.S. Chamber Directory or do a Google search (like “Manassas Chamber of Commerce”).

Next you would visit the website for the Chamber of Commerce and look to see if they post a “member directory” or “business directory”. This would list all of the companies that are located in that geographic area who are chamber of commerce members. If you can’t find a listing, contact the Chamber to see if they would email you a list of employers in the field that interests you. (For example, you could email the Chicago Chamber of Commerce, explain that you’re conducting a job search, and request a list of graphic design firms in the area.)

Your last step would be to visit the websites of the organizations and companies you’ve identified to see if they have positions posted, or send a resume and letter of inquiry if you’re not sure whether they’re hiring.

Google Maps

Did you know that you can use this tool to identify local companies in areas that interest you? Just visit Google Maps and for your search start with the career field, followed by the word “near” and the name of the city and state. For example, you could type in “graphic design near Chicago, IL”. This will generate a list of businesses that could be targets for your job search.

Your last step would be to visit the websites of the organizations and companies you’ve identified to see if they have positions posted, or send a resume and letter of inquiry if you’re not sure whether they’re hiring.

Newspaper Classifieds

Most newspapers’ websites feature online classified postings for jobs and internships available in the area.

Do a Google search for newspapers in the area and explore this as an option for finding local positions.

If your initial searches yield positions that are not really college appropriate, this may not be the best source for you. But in larger metropolitan areas, online newspaper classifieds can be a great place to look.

Craigslist

Because it’s free to post jobs to Craigslist, many companies that lack large recruiting budgets will post positions there. After you’ve found a Craigslist region that’s close to your geographic target, you can choose a category under the “Jobs” heading, or just click on “Jobs” and enter your search terms.

There will be some junk posts here, but there are legitimate positions as well. Before you arrange to meet someone for an interview based on a Craigslist posting, it’s always best to make sure that you can verify that the business is legitimate by doing a web search of the company name.

In spite of these safety considerations, remember that Craigslist can be a great source for job postings in creative fields, non-profits, start-ups, and other industries, so don’t rule it out!